THE MIGHTY DUCKS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
"You could have been one of the greats," the Hawk's coach reminds his former peewee player and now rival coach of the Ducks. "Now look at yourself. You could have been someone. You're not even a has been. You're a never was."
In the 1992 movie THE MIGHTY DUCKS, the Hawk's hockey team is populated by kids from the right side of the tracks. Their rival team from the wrong side did not even have a name until they were adopted by a corporate sponsor. The Hawks are little pros with fancy uniforms, but the Ducks are traditionally a ragtag group of misfits who have a long term lease on the cellar of their league.
One day, the Ducks' guardian-angel-to-be, hot shot lawyer Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez), gets arrested for driving while drunk. The judge sentences him to community service, and he ends up coaching a bunch of losers. He gets his boss, Mr. Gerald Ducksworth (Josef Sommer), to contribute $15,000 so that the team will have proper uniforms and equipment. In return Gordon promises to name the team after their patron, hence the moniker, the Ducks.
The show has two parallel plots. Told in flashback is the story of how Gordon blew the last shot in the championship game while he was a Hawk. These scenes are photographed with shimmering backlights, which is an odd choice. The cinematography of these is evocative of warm and nostalgic memories whereas the story line is flush with pathos.
Gordon's coach then, and his rival now, is the quintessentially evil Coach Reilly (Lane Smith). He derisively calls all of his players "ladies" to insult them. (The only team with any girls is the Ducks, but the script treats the two girls as little more than a plot device.) After many years, Coach Reilly is still mad at Gordon for missing the big one.
The heart of the story is the building of the Ducks into a powerhouse. (Guess who they will play? Guess who will win?)
Like Noah's ark, the Ducks have some of each personality type. My favorite is Fulton Reed (Elden Ratliff). Fulton can hardly skate at all, but when he hits a puck, it goes at the speed of a bullet. His aim is accurate only one time out of five, but his power makes for some funny scenes.
The script by Steven Brill is pure formula and totally predictable. He takes absolutely no chances. My son reminded me several times not to tell you the ending. Nevertheless, I suspect you will be able to guess it. Afterall, this film has been made many times before, only the sport has been changed. On the positive side, the morals in the film are good, and there are a few nice laughs. The director, Stephen Herek, would go on later to do the delightful MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS, so he has more talent that he demonstrates in this film. Oh well, at least THE MIGHTY DUCKS is a safe choice for a video rental for your kids.
THE MIGHTY DUCKS runs 1:39. It is rated PG for a little needless profanity (e.g. "hell" and "damn straight.") It would be fine for kids of all ages. My son Jeffrey, almost 8, thought the film was "super." Although he recommends it, I don't. Pleasant enough and never offensive, but it lacks the necessary creative spark. I give it **.
**** = A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = Totally and painfully unbearable picture.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: March 16, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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